Posts Tagged ‘carignane’
Varietal: 98% Zinfandel; 1.5% Carignane; .5% Petite Sirah
Region: California, USA
Cost: $18
Winemaker’s Notes: “In Liar’s Dice Zinfande, we’ve created our most passionate wine – one that’s so sweet and juicy, it’ll leave you wanting more. Our 2008 vintage is a combination of both Dry Creek and Alexander Valley fruit. The Dry Creek grapes contribute black raspberry and currants. The Alexander Valley fruit imparts rich flavors of black cherry and blackberry jam. Soft tannins perfectly balance the sweetness of the fruit.” Pairs well with grilled meats including ribs, burgers, pulled pork or any other type of BBQ.
My Review: Ever since Murphy-Goode had the opening for their “Dream Job” a few years back, I’ve been interested to try some of their wines, but just haven’t gotten around to it. This past Friday that all finally changed, as I was in the mood for a Zinfandel to go with a steak that I was throwing on the grill that night – I tend to cook a lot of steak when my wife goes out of town. I really shouldn’t have waited so long to grab this wine.
Varietal: 80% Zinfandel; 10% Mourvedre; 8% Carignane; 2% Petite Sirah
Region: California – USA
Cost: $10 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: This is a refined pleasure with intense flavors of blackberry mingling with soft creamy touches of oak, vanilla, and dry herbs. It’s full on the palate, but not heavy and the fruit is constant from the first sip to the end of the finish. Pairs well with grilled pork, pasta Bolognese, and barbecued ribs or chops.
My Review: It’s taken me a while to get around to sampling/reviewing this wine. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but rather because I knew what I wanted to pair with it and took my sweet time getting and then cooking up some ribs. This past Saturday I finally got around to it.
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (51% Syrah; 26% Zinfandel; 12% Sangiovese; 6% Carignane; 5% Merlot
Region: California – USA
Cost: $20
Dark purple coloring that is essentially opaque. A medium-bodied wine with aromas of ripe cherries, berries, and plums.
Recommendations: When I first poured out some of this wine, I liked the deep purple color of it. I did catch the aromas of some of the ripe fruit, but there was a aroma of alcohol that I’m starting to associate with California Syrah.
The wine itself was fairly smooth, about what I was expecting given the varietals present in the blend, but there was a bit of alcohol on the finish that nearly overwhelmed the subtle fruit flavors and soft tannins.
Having had this problem with a previous blended red involving California Syrah, my wife and I paired this wine with a meal of pasta with a red meat sauce. This definitely helped. The sauciness of the pasta helped to cut some of the alcohol finish on the wine, making it much more enjoyable.
If you don’t like to taste alcohol on your wine, you might want to pass on this, but if you do get this wine, I would highly recommend pairing it with a saucy pasta dish to cut the alcohol flavors.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for providing the wine.
